-
Jacob Sanning
By Nila Harris
Jacob Sanning always wanted to attend a university out of state but never dreamed he would be admitted to an Ivy League school with a low acceptance rate. But his teachers and parents encouraged him to apply to Columbia University in New York City. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get in,” Sanning enthused. He spent “a whole month working day and night” on his essays. He answered questions like: What is your passion? Why do you want to go here? And his favorite—list the books you have read in the past year. Since he loves to read and is continually reading, this was an easy question to answer. In fact, as part of his Literature Humanities course, Sanning is required to read 21 books, averaging around 500 pages each! From books of the Bible to works by Plato and Homer, Sanning will get his “reading fill” as he begins his fall semester.
Sanning has received a financial aid scholarship worth $213,000 or roughly $60-70,000 a year. According to Sanning, because of the intense admittance process and low acceptance rate, there are no merit-based scholarships. The 2023 acceptance rate was only 3.9 percent and enrollment for the Fall semester is 33,776 with 8,832 of those being undergraduates.
Prior to being accepted by Columbia, Sanning was a fully committed Northern Ky. University student. He scored a 35 on his ACT, passed all his Advanced Placement exams, and took numerous dual-credit courses. Unfortunately, Columbia does not recognize the AP scores nor the dual-credit courses, so Sanning must start back at zero. But undaunted, he plans to charge forward, work hard, and maintain a 4.0 grade point average.
He is thrilled and excited to explore the university, New York, and for his new adventure ahead. Sanning is working towards degrees in Linguistics and Political Science. One day, he hopes to be a professor or work for the United Nations, which is near the university and offers apprenticeship programs to Columbia students. He is grateful for the opportunities Pendleton County High School provided him and the support of all his teachers.
Sanning, the son of attorneys Matt and Stacey Sanning, will be leaving for Columbia University on August 26th. Best of luck to you Jacob Sanning!